Dream Sickness

“By the night, they found me. You need to move, now!” Warp Runner declared as she darted for the Night Shine, leaving Twilight with the still very spell-enraptured Luna.

“Wait, wait, what do I do!?” the dragoness called. With no ability to cast a counterspell, and the ships encroaching fast, she was faced with few options. “Oh, sorry about this, Luna.”

Seizing the disguised alicorn between her foreclaws, she shook the mare as slightly as her draconic strength would allow. The sudden explosion of rock above her made any efforts of subtlety mute, however, as she ducked.

What, they’re shooting at us! Her mind screamed, chancing a glance to see the foremost of the sky ships– cannon primed on its bow, as it drifted into range. So what, just get out there and torch them!

“Urg, what… Twilight?” Only when she looked back, did the dragoness see Luna leaning groggily between her foreclaws, the spell having cut off with a sharp flash as the disguised mare rubbed her horn. “What’s going on?”

“I think your friends from the tavern are back,” Twilight declared, releasing the princess with a meager apology as the weaving illusion of the dream realm was sucked back into the scroll, leaving the parchment to fall to the floor. “They’re shooting at us!”

Oh, what I’d not give for a shield spell right now! She inwardly cried as the boom of a second cannon shot heralded the collapse of the roof above. You’re kidding, right? You’re a dragon!

Reflexively lifting a wing to protect both herself and Luna from the tumbling boulders, Twilight winced at every hard thud against the lavender membrane. At least until Luna leaped into action, returning to full alert as she hopped up, horn flaring to telekinetically toss more of the rocks away.

“Where’s Warp Runner!?” the princess demanded, peering out to see the two ships were moving to block the cave exit.

“On the ship, you two have a plan to get out of this, right?” She hated just how useless she felt without magic, even as her draconic mind screamed at her to sore into action.

“I fear any plan of Warp Runner’s will be rather eccentric,” Luna observed, while the closer the offending ships got, the more obvious the mix of griffins and pony-hybrids loading the canons became. “Twilight, take the map, we cannot allow them to attain it.”

“And what about you?” asked the dragoness, earning a sideways glance from the mare as she winked.

“I believe that these fools have forgotten just how I gained my reputation,” she cooed, leaping up. “Get to the Night Shine, we’ll show these roughens a true battle.”

Before the dragoness could even call out, Luna surged into action. Her lack of wings hardly hampered her, she hopped and bounded along the rocks towards the cave mouth.

Wow, she really is…! No, no, Twilight, not the time! The Princess gave you a job to do! She fixed her eyes on the scroll, scooping it up in her talons. Yeah, she did. Imagine how valuable this thing is!

She built a mental wall in the face of her draconic instincts, right as another cannon fired. She ducked, expecting an explosion, only to have the rusty metal net that had been aimed at her wrap around her cover with a clatter. It slid down as she peaked up, catching the griffin that had fired the shot cursing over his near miss.

Oh, and now they’re trying to net you up like some common whelp… You’re by far the worst dragon ever! The dragon in her head bellowed, only for the little alicorn princess amidst her thoughts to counter. Well, I don’t see you having any smart ideas! Any options other than just burning them all!?

Regardless, the syndicate goons didn’t appear willing to offer her the luxury of indulging in her mental debate. While the cannon griffin reloaded, two more took to the air, strange weapons grasped in their talons. Twilight darted aside as the first swooped in and took aim, blundering down the steps towards the Night Shine as the harpoon the avian-hybrid loosed pinged from the rocks where she’d stood with a splintering crack. Scroll clutched tight in her foreclaws, she rolled, swatting out with her tail to batt her attacker aside. The griffin weaved under her assault, reaching for a satchel on his flank to load another harpoon.

With his attention fixated on the dragoness, he was totally vulnerable to the mare that leaped from the rocks beside him, however. As if wrangling a bucking buffalo, Luna dove atop the griffin’s back, yanking his aim away before he could assail Twilight once more. Her horn flared, snatching the weapon from his talons as he swerved into the cave wall, seemingly to try and shake her off.

“Luna!” Twilight called, only for the second griffin to materialize before her, brandishing a similar harpoon gun.

“Get to the Night Shine, Twilight!” called the camouflaged mare as she wrapped her hind legs around the griffin’s midriff, yanking him toward the foremost syndicate vessel. “Worry not about me, just see she is ready to make haste!”

There was no time to argue as Luna forced the griffin down, slamming into the deck of the gnarled ship in a cloud of dust and scruffy feathers. Twilight wanted nothing more than to keep watching and ensure her princess was okay. Yet before she could even glimpse Luna, the second harpoon griffin fired. Staggering aside, she barely avoided the projectile impacting her chest, instead feeling the searing pain as it tore her wing, puncturing a bloody hole through the lavender membrane.

The dragoness’s eyes narrowed as she grunted, sharp teeth grinding while sizzling embers and smoke seared between them. Pain oozing into her thoughts like molten iron, she could hardly think straight as the fire lapped from her muzzle and she sent a blast of purple flames toward the griffin. Her dragon side cheered, and the little princess in her head covered her eyes in terror. The harpoon-wielding avian swerved aside, the rock at his back searing red-hot. Before the princess could come to her senses, there was a new boom, and another of the nets was loosed right at her.

Wrapping around her muzzle with a dull clatter, the force of the impact sent the dragoness reeling. Only when she was toppling horns over tail did she finally come to her senses, eyes popping wide as the rotten deck cracked and splintered under her draconic weight. Wings flared to at least offer some hope of balance, she reflexively clawed at the chains wrapped tight around her snout. As if glued to her scales by some accursed charm, the thing wove and wound to counter every one of her efforts, before she felt hardwood under her claws, and finally floundered onto the deck of the Night Shine.

The momentary relief that she had solid ground under her claws was swift, however, as the griffin appeared above her. Against her better judgment (and the protests of the little princess in her head) she started to summon fire in her throat. The net almost felt as if it softened under the heat, every cinder fleeting her muzzle causing it to bubble and ooze with an acrid scent.

Wait, no, no, no! The little princess mentally screamed, calling her to reason. You know that smell, the thing’s made of lead!

The smirk on the griffin’s face as he did little to avoid the swelling fire only confirmed that if Twilight’s breath melted the thing, she’d have far more toxic problems. Thankful that some semblance of intellect still resided in her bedraggled brain, she swallowed her fire. Smoke hissed from her snout, yet ignoring the acrid taste that the backfire summoned, she kicked out. Clearly, she wasn’t as ineffective a dragoness as the syndicate assumed, the griffin didn’t appear to anticipate just how fast the former mare could move as her hind claws sent him careening into the Night Shine’s mast.

Oh, sorry Luna. She winced as the avian struck the blue wood, the flash of the ship’s protection weave flaring as he toppled down to the deck with a hard thud. Really, to care about a boat?

One thwack from Twilight’s tail saw the griffin was out cold before he could lift his weary head. Meanwhile, the sudden moment of reprieve, allowed her to at least sit up and try to pry the net from her muzzle. Across the cave, she saw one of the syndicate ships slip into the cavern, only for its ragged hull to impact the rocks with a loud crunch. Luna danced and wove along the deck, baffling the crew with her elegant flurries of hoof kicks and blasts of stunning magic.

Don’t get distracted, Twilight! Ripping her eyes away from the impressive display, her netted gaze fixed on the scroll.

She’d no idea when the thing had slipped from her grip in the tussle, but now it lay in the center of the deck. It was also the moment the doors to the ship’s interior flung open, and wrapped head to tail in ropes, Warp Runner frantically darted up from below.

“Nice of you to drop in!” called the bat-winged mare as she dashed by, tossing one rope up over the mast before rapidly rushing to secure another of the ship’s fixtures. “Do me a favor, tie this down!”

Blinking at the rope the thestral threw down at her talons, Twilight took one look at the thing, then at Warp Runner before jabbing a foreclaw to the net on her face.

“Melp mee mout miht mis mirsat!” The best she could manage was a muffled demand for aid before the bat pony spun to face her.

“Oh, right!” Free of the ropes, the mare swooped over, wrapping a forehoof under the net. “Anti-dragon weave, be glad you didn’t try to burn it!”

“Yeah, I figured that bit out!” Twilight called the moment Warp Runner turned the net incorporeal and slipped it off. “Luna said we need to get this ship moving!”

“Well isn’t she the master of the obvious!” Warp Runner rolled her eyes, glancing over to the ship Luna was currently taking on single-hoofed. “Leave me to do the boring stuff while she has all the fun, as usual.”

“What do you need me to do?” Twilight asked, scooping up the rope in her talons, while she curled her tail around the scroll to sweep it closer. “I’ve never flown a ship this complex before!”

“Just tie that line to the mast, then I can loose the sail. Night Shine’s good to get us out of here on her own if we open her up!” Warp Runner assured, shooting to the peak of the mast with the opposite end of the rope as Twilight did as instructed.

Urg, by Celestia, these claws are so cumbersome! She mentally huffed, fumbling with the fine knot before yanking it taut. This is why dragons have no care for such petty things.

“Ha, okay I got it!” declared the triumphant princess, looking up only to see a dark shadow appear above Warp Runner. “Look out!”

The bat pony appeared stunned for a split second as the red ball of scales, spines, and leathery wings dove by her and right toward Twilight. She lifted a wing, right as Razorback slammed into her, claws scattering across the polished deck as she sprawled out.

“You’re not going anywhere,” mused the larger dragon, smoke hissing between his fangs as he loomed over the fallen dragoness.

“Twilight!” called Warp Runner, swooping back to dive bomb the dragon, only for an equally vibrant ball of scales and feathers to tackle her from the sky.

“What’s wrong, Lil’ Battie, thought we wouldn’t find your secret hidey hole?” called Gracie as Warp Runner flashed away from her talons.

“Sure took you long enough!” countered the thestral, darting aside before returning to a corporeal state to kick the draco-griff across the face.

“You little… I’ll kill you!” growled Gracie as the two swerved out of sight, leaving Twilight face-to-face with the much larger dragon.

“I don’t want to fight you,” she huffed as she staggered to her claws, feeling the instinctive smoke swell in her chest.

The burly red dragon merely smirked at the gesture. “Really now, that’s very unlike a dragoness of your…” He rolled a foreclaw in the air. “Well, let’s just say you’re very strange.”

“Likewise, why even come after us?” Twilight countered, looking him up and down, surmising that in a one-on-one, with no magic, his experience with his draconic body would have her beat.

That’s not counting his buddies with the nets. She noted, hoping Luna could keep at least one of the boats off her back as she glanced around Razorback to the mast. The sail is set to loose. By Celestia, if only I had magic!

“You really are new here, aren’t you?” he said cooly, then shrugged his wings. “Oh well, then at least no one is going to miss you when I’m done!”

The sight of a dragon almost twice her size leaping across the deck at her with curved foreclaws outstretched, and fire blazing between his sharp teeth, had the little princess in her head screaming in a panic. Her equine urge to run was so strong she had to fight not to simply leap off the boat, while the call of her dragon side to just bite him hardly felt like a better option.

Taking a third route, she ducked under Razorback’s lunge, seeing him sail over her as she rolled across the deck, scroll rolling from her grip. Momentum carried him through the air, he slammed hard into the ship’s cabin, the magical shield spell that encompassed the midnight vessel’s hull flaring like a sea of stars as he did so.

Ha, see, not that bad at this! Cheered the little princess in her head triumphantly, only to yelp in alarm along with her dragoness-self as Razorback’s tail swatted back and knocked her forelegs out from under her. Seriously!?

“Slippery little thing, aren’t you?” her scaly adversary grumbled as he pulled himself free, rubbing his bruised muzzle. “Those pretty scales of yours better be worth it when I pluck them off.”

Glancing between him, the scroll, and the mast at her back, Twilight snagged one of her foreclaws on the loose rope Warp Runner had tied, and pulled it taut.

“Sorry, my scales aren’t for sale!” Razorback raised an eye crest in confusion, right as the sail above him unfurled, and the boom of Night Shine’s central mast slammed down on his head.

The ship lurched, and as if possessing a mind of its own, it began to tug away from the dock. Ropes pulled taut, ripping the rotten planks still fixed to the cave free. With the fiery ambition of Luna herself, the Night Shine wouldn’t be held back, storming from its mooring with an eager flare of its sails.

“You little wyrm!” spat Razorback, stumbling as the ship loomed out into the dawn’s radiant glow.

Seizing the opportunity, Twilight dove for the scroll, only to have his tail lash out, connecting with her muzzle. Reeling, she fell back as he dove atop her and pinned her to the deck with one foreclaw. Any effort to break free felt utterly futile as her weaker claws scraped his leg, fireproof scales seeing her breath would only result in harm to the Night Shine.

“What’s this that’s so important?” he asked, scooping up the scroll with a wing. “Some kind of spell, I see.”

“That… It’s nothing!” Twilight did all she could to diminish his interest, sure if the thing was as dangerous as Luna made it out to be, the syndicate would definitely be considered the wrong hooves. “Just a simple sleep spell.

“A terrible dragoness and a terrible liar,” he mocked, moving a foreclaw to clasp her neck, stealing away her words as she choked. “Not that you’ll have to worry about that now.”

Tail, claws, and bloody wings thrashing, Twilight did all she could to batt him off. Yet he was as much a solid statue as the ones in Warp Runner’s dreams, fiery scales blazing in the dawn’s light as he failed to budge. Battling to keep the wicked tendrils of unconsciousness from creeping too far into her sight, all Twilight could fixate on was his devious grin. That, and the shadow of a syndicate skyship that suddenly appeared behind him.

Luna at the helm, the shrill scraping of metal on wood cut through the air as the rugged green vessel rammed over Night Shine’s deck. If not for the blue ship’s shield, the majestic timber would have surely been torn in two. As it was, the rugged bow of the thing bounced upward, threatening only the two dragons as it slammed into Razorback, shoving him over the edge and dragging Twilight with him.

The dragoness screamed, seeing the red-scaled drake plummet into the pink abyss of fluffy clouds, before feeling hooves drape around her foreleg. As if she’d been suddenly plunged into cold water, the world around her seemed to fade. Razorback’s grip on her passed away as if she were little more than a specter, and only then did she notice Warp Runner at her side.

That incorporeal spell of hers really is powerful. If she’d still been an alicorn, learning all she could about such magic would have been at the very top of her to-do list, now however, all she could fixate upon was the draco-griff coming around to shoot the bat pony with a harpoon. Oh no!

The spell dropped, seeming to take its toll on Warp Runner as she panted. Yet not before the weapon fired. Twilight didn’t even think, wrapping the bat pony in her wings and tossing her forward, under her scaley spine. The flare of pain as the harpoon impacted her hard dorsal scales was like a bolt of lightning, eliciting a yelp of pain as cinders flitted from her wrinkled muzzle.

“Talons and tails, just roll over and die!” Gracie spat, the tell-tale clunk of her reloading reaching Twilight’s ears as she hunched over the prone mare.

Catching her breath, Warp Runner shook her head, peering up at the dragoness, and then at Twilight’s flank. The former princess really didn’t want to think about the feeling of warm fluids trickling down her scales, nor the sensation of something hard lodged in her back. She barely even registered Warp Runner’s panicked words as she staggered, slumping to the deck in a heap of scales.

What are you doing, you’re seriously going to let this half-breed poultry best you!? She imagined if a dragon like Razorback had such a driven inner monologue, he’d make far better use of it.

She could barely move as the draco-griff took aim, ready to finish her off. The bolt of eldritch lightning that reduced her crude weapon to dust before she could fire put a stop to that. Silver coat glowing like a fallen star in the dawn’s glow, Luna leaped from the ship she’d commandeered, hind hooves smacking Gracie across the face. The pair fell, Luna to the deck of the Night Shine, while the half-breed careened out of sight.

“Thou shall not harm our charge!” boomed Luna as she loomed tall on the deck, almost willing the Night Shine to surge faster.

One look ahead, and even in her blurred vision, Twilight could see why. The second syndicate craft lingered dead ahead, its broadside exposed to the Night Shine’s bow. Upon Luna’s will, the front of the radiant blue vessel began to glow, fire summoned into the shape of a great crescent moon blade materializing. The offending crew could do little but leap into the sky, or beg to be carried free by one of their winged companions as the Night Shine’s blazing bow tore the crude vessel clean in two, banishing its rusty debris into the abyss below.

Staggering to the deck, Luna panted as the sky cleared, the fury of her ship’s fire diminishing as she did so. And she did all that for what… To protect me?

“Twilight!” The night princess gasped through her exertions as she stumbled over and knelt beside the fallen dragoness.

Twilight didn’t like the way Luna winced at the sight of her wounds, thankful that such things were out of sight as she slumped against the deck.

“T–the dream scroll… I think Razorback got it,” she forced, and while she glanced about urgently, Luna only pressed a forehoof to the dragoness’s cheek.

“Worry not about him just…” It was seldom that Twilight saw words catch in the princess’s throat as Luna assured. “Just don’t move, Warp Runner and I can heal you.”

“Oh, I don’t think I’m going to be going anywhere,” Twilight droned, half in a daze as she added with a weak laugh. “I’ve had enough adventure for one day.”

Twilight saw the dreamscape reaching out before her in a whole new light. Never again did she think she’d be able to dream the same way. Even if she was thankful to be her alicorn self in the unconscious world. A dull pain still throbbed between her wings, while movement and voices shifted about her in a ghostly haze, echoes of what was transpiring in the waking world.

"Roll her over… Take it out, then use this!”

“You Should be back at the helm!”

“I’ve never treated a dragon before!”

“Remain strong, Twilight. I will allow no harm to befall you.”

She could barely focus on the muffled sounds as she trotted down the silvery halls, the occasional door looming up from the pale expanse, only to sink back down as she passed. Unlike Warp Runner’s, most were unbarred and unguarded, allowing her fleeting glimpses into wild realities beyond. From one dream of some unknown colt racing a scooter through a land of cotton candy trees and sugary clouds, to another of a gruff-looking griffin petting the most adorable kittens while surrounded by a sea of gold bits.

I must still be backstage. She wondered, looking into another door to see the dreams of a unicorn, masterfully crafting the most exquisite pottery. If these are just random ponies' dreams though…

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she cast her mind back home. The doors on either side of her rushed away, replaced by two more identical sets that glided up on each flank like newly arrived trains. Not one was hidden from her, and instantly the recognisable cutie marks upon the ethereal wood sparked joy in her chest. The door closest bore the familiar mark of a rainbow lightning bolt, opening with a sharp gush of wind to reveal a brilliant blue sky.

Rainbow, what did I expect? Twilight thought warmly as a bolt of prismatic fury sored by the open door, swooping upward at the head of a dazzling Wonderbolt formation.

She had to crane her neck so much her spine started to feel like putty, just to keep up with the mare, while Rainbow swerved forward, peeling away from her formation and accelerating to create a prismatic explosion of… Apples?

“Whoa, nelly, now ta wer’ a good'n’!” The entire atmosphere of the dream shifted as the apples cascaded down in a crimson rain, filling the orchards below as the green landscape was painted into existence.

“Ha, I told you I could do just about anything for you, AJ!” called Dash, Wonderbolt uniform melting away from her as if turned to inky water. “Call that one the sonic… Appledash… Boom?”

The cyan mare landed, lifting a forehoof to her chin in thought, yet her orange marefriend seemed to care for the name as much as she did her hat that flew off in a dash to embrace the pegasus.

“How ‘bout ah show ya’ some apples now, Dash,” cooed the farm pony, forehooves wrapped around Rainbow’s neck as her eyes became lidded.

Okay, and not the kind of dream I need to see! Twilight backed away the second the pair started to kiss. How does Luna do this without interfering with everypony’s privacy?

The loud slam of Rainbow’s dream door only served to reinforce the notion as she staggered back. The world around her shuddered, and before she knew it, she slammed wings first into another door, tumbling through as it opened before she could catch herself. Floundering head over hooves, she flared her wings, magic sparking to life as she finally righted herself. Just as she did so, the floor appeared to materialize under her, yet in the solid blankness that filled the entire space, it was hard to make out.

And whose dream is this? She hadn’t caught the mark on the door, and glancing about, she gleaned nothing. I never thought any of my friends would dream about blackness.

“I–I’m sorry, Twilight!” The panicked voice echoed about the space several times, causing the princess’s mane to stand on end as she frantically searched for the source. “I’m sorry I couldn’t fix it.”

I know that voice. Twilight’s ears perked, attention poised to finally come to rest on a lonely mare, curled up under a bold pillar of pale light in the dark oblivion. Starlight?

She called the name of her former student as she tentatively crept to the pink unicorn’s side. Starlight appeared not to notice her, and the moment she was finally close enough to reach out, her forehoof merely passed through the prone mare’s flank like a ghost.

“Starlight, it’s okay,” she cooed, unsure what exactly there was to worry about in here, only to consider.

Maybe this isn’t a dream, maybe it’s… Something shifted in the gloom, something huge and scaly by the sound of it slithering across the invisible floor. A nightmare.

"I–... My magic... Starlight, I can't do it!" Growled the grizzled, draconic tone of the monster, as clawed feet and ragged wings shifted in the shadows. "This... This can't be happening... How can I fix this without magic?"

I know that voice too, is she having a nightmare about me!? Twilight wilted at the prospect as Starlight threw her forehooves over her head, eyes closed as she stammered.

“Okay, Twilight calm down, I can fix this, I'm sure.” The huff of smoke from the gloom suggested that Twilight’s nightmare self didn’t approve, and from the shadows loomed the vast scaly head of the dragon.

For a second, she was infinitely glad she didn’t quite look as devilish as this in the waking world. The nightmare dragon’s scales were dulled to a purple hue, the cracks between each glowing with a baleful green fire. The same flames burned within her eyes, as well as the embers that spat from her flared nostrils. Wicked horns, like jagged stalactites jutted from the back of her slender skull, curling around like those of a ram to create a menacing crown of thorns atop her head.

“You were supposed to fix me, Starlight, I was counting on you!” roared the dragoness, emerald flames crackling in the back of her throat as an equally monstrous body shifted in the gloom behind her. “But you made me go to the party, you ruined it all!”

“You still think you let me down?” the real Twilight muttered to herself as she glanced between the cowering mare and the dreadful dragoness. “But you didn’t, Starlight. You came to find me!”

Once again, it was as if her words fell on deaf ears, until recalling what Luna had told her about dreams, Twilight stoically posed herself between her friend and the nightmare.

“Hey, you!” She declared, flaring her horn. “Leave her alone, she didn’t fail me, she didn’t let me down. Even if she did, this isn’t how I’d treat her!”

The feeling of magical power forced the alicorn’s heart to swell as she blasted a bolt of purple light at the monster. Like it were made from sticky tar and dark mist, the thing parted around her assault, its oily innards laced with beady eyes and fangs. Moments later, it reformed, sneering at her like she were a mere bug.

Haven’t I fought myself enough for one lifetime? She thought, falling back on all she knew about this place. It’s not as simple as blasting it, I need to make Starlight think differently. Come on, Twilight, what does she like?

Drawing back, the dragon snorted a smoky laugh, right as an idea crossed Twilight’s mind, and she looked back to the thing with a smirk.

“How about we try this.” Unleashing her magic once again, she corrected the spell.

Instead of trying to damage the thing, she sought only to change it, and just as she’d planned, in a puff of purple smoke, the dragon became a brilliant draconic kite. Robbed of its menace, the thing shunned the gloom around it, appearing to chase away the darkness as Twilight snagged the kite’s string in her magical grip.

“I… What’s going…?” Starlight muttered as she dared lift her head, only to find the string of her new kite levitating before her. “Twilight?”

“You can see me?” asked the lavender mare as the unicorn took the kite in her magic. “Starlight, it’s me. I’m with Luna I’m… Well, kinda okay.”

Cocking her head, Starlight simply smiled at her. The look was odd, almost as if she were looking through Twilight more than she were actually meeting a true friend.

“She doesn’t think you're real,” came Luna’s voice, and in an instant the midnight blue princess appeared from the brightening sky above. “It takes a great deal to convince the subconscious of such things. Though healing one’s nightmare, it is impressive.”

“So that’s what I just did?” Twilight asked, taking a few steps back from Starlight as the unicorn peacefully enjoyed her kite.

“In a sense, yes. Not only that, but the fact you even located your friends’ dreams is also rather remarkable,” Luna added, as Twilight finally approached. “Are you alright, my dear Twilight?”

“I–I’m not sure…” she muttered, part of her wishing to ask just what Luna meant. She was pretty sure her dragon self was in pretty rough shape, yet surely Luna knew more about that than she did. “I miss them, I miss home.”

“I understand, I do.” Luna wilted, the dream around her growing a little darker as she sighed. “Warp Runner has Night Shine underway, her speed is unmatched. We should be able to fix this and return within the week.”

“If I don’t get myself killed,” Twilight sighed, and Luna balked as the smaller alicorn elaborated. “I’m not good at being a dragon. Fighting in the Everfree was one thing, but Razorback almost killed me. Gracie shot me!”

“I am aware,” Luna admitted with a wince. “Worry not. A dragon’s hide is tough, the wound is not fatal, though you will need time to recover.”

“While you and Warp Runner fly the ship all by yourself?” Twilight shot the dark alicorn a flat look. “No offense, but you bicker like your lives depend on it.”

“Her and I are… Strained, but yes. Night Shine is in no better hooves,” the princess confessed with a sigh.

Strained? Like when I accidentally press her for answers she looks like she wants to kill me? The sharp glare of Warp Runner’s bicolored eyes was still branded into Twilight’s memory. Or if I even so much as sneeze about her horn!

“She is also glad you saved her life.” Luna’s next words caught Twilight off guard as the alicorn smirked. “And believe me, her gratitude is hard to come by.”

“Stubbornest friend I’ll ever make, that’s for sure.” Despite herself, Twilight smiled at the fact she may now actually have some of the mare’s respect, even if she’d had to take a harpoon to do it. The second her thoughts returned to the skirmish, however, she blurted. “But wait, what about the scroll, Razorback had it when he fell!?”

“A fact of which I am also quite aware,” Luna admitted, ears folding. “For now the best we can do is hope the syndicate lacks the means to decipher it. Once we are done in the dreamlands, I will close off the passage marked on it too, it will become harder for it to be misused.”

So she’s not going to try and get it back? Every moment she considered that, Twilight couldn’t help but wonder. Is that for me? Is she putting me before her powers?

“Right now, it matters not, however,” Luna went on, smiling down at Twilight as she gingerly rested a forehoof under the smaller alicorn’s chin. “You are safe, but need rest. I fear when you wake, the pain may need some acclimatizing to.”

“Lucky me.” Twilight couldn’t help but blush as she peered into Luna’s dark eyes, each like a serene pool of impossibly deep ocean. “But I can’t say I don’t have a great mare to take care of me.”

Was that too forward, was that too…? Luna only averted her eyes a little, the blush filling her dark cheeks evident as her wings ruffled in an effort to unfurl. Okay, so maybe she likes forward?

“And for you, dear Twilight,” the night princess began as she leaned in a little closer. “I will always try my utmost to be that mare.”